The Thomson High School Bulldogs will have a new weapon in their arsenal this football season. The newest weapon will be the pass.

That's right, the pass.

Although the Bulldogs have passed the ball through the years, primarily they have been a running team.

It's been that way during the two different stints that Head Coach Luther Welsh has been at the helm.

He's always relied heavily on a running attack, rather than mixing up his game plan and throwing the football.

This season will be different. The Bulldogs plan not only to run the football, but throw it, too, according to Offensive Coordinator Bobby Thomas.

"We're definitely going to have a different look, offensively, because of our ability to pass the football this season," Coach Thomas said during a recent interview. "We're going to have the ability to throw the football as much as five times in a row, if we choose."

Coach Thomas estimates that the Bulldogs will still run with the pigskin 60 percent of the time. The other remaining 40 percent, they will throw it.

The new offense is actually a shotgun, Wing-T offense, Coach Thomas said.

"It's more of a spread-type offense," added the second year offensive coordinator.

"I think it's a great concept," Coach Thomas said. "I'm thankful that Coach Welsh has allowed me to open our offense up a lot more."

Coach Thomas also has thought of some interesting schemes to keep opponents' defenses wondering what the Bulldogs will look like when they get set to pass the ball.

"Our pass plays are set up just like our running plays, so it's going to be very difficult, we hope, for defenses to adjust," Coach Thomas said. "By the time they do, we're hoping we will have completed a pass to one of our receivers."

When it comes to passing, the Bulldogs will be relying on first-year starting quarterback Phillip Anderson to get the job done.

Anderson, a junior, has been impressive in practice, Coach Thomas said.

"If he does that well in games, it will definitely give us another way to move the football downfield," he added.

Anderson will have three main receivers to hit on passing routes.

They are Nick Rau, Will Tankersley and Josh Jones, who also will serve as the Bulldogs' backup quarterback.

"All three of those players can catch the ball well," Coach Thomas said.

A fourth player, Dontavius "Juicy" Brown, who will be the go-to guy in the backfield, also catches the ball well.

At least two other players also are expected to be assets, offensively. They are Brandon Huff and Jarcques Kendrick.

"We could have as many as five receivers at any given time on the field," said Coach Thomas. "It's going to be tough to defend our passing routes because most of them will involve triple screens."

Thus far, implementing the new offense "has been a lot of work, but it's also been a lot of fun, because both our coaching staff and our players have bought into it," Coach Thomas said. "I guess you could say, it's refreshing, because Thomson has never really thrown the ball much."